In the shadow of the Tour de France and the Giro, the Vuelta had relied on social networks to modernize and reach a younger audience during this 2026 edition. To do this, the Tour of Spain had set its sights on Erola Jons, a Catalan influencer with more than 6 million subscribers on its various platforms.
His role was simple: to decipher the stages on Twitch and Instagram with a touch of humor and to ask questions, sometimes offbeat, to the runners. And the least we can say is that the experience turned into a fiasco.
During the first weekend of competition, Erola Jons made numerous jokes and comments of a sexual nature. “I’m going to ask him if he’s that fast in private,” she said of Tadej Pogacar after the initial time trial. During the interview, she asked the Slovenian this question: “Why do you hyperventilate when you see me?” Yet fond of humor, Tadej Pogacar seemed taken aback.
Critics of traditional media
Faced with the growing controversy, the Vuelta sanctioned Erola Jons, as reported by the specialist media “Cyclingnews”. The content creator will no longer have access to the mixed zone or the team buses and will have to obtain authorization from the latter to interview the riders.
This decision follows numerous criticisms from traditional media. Eurosport journalist Laura Meseguer denounced the “sexist” comments and regretted that the Vuelta had entrusted such a mission to a person “who knew absolutely nothing about cycling”.
